Friday, July 15, 2005

Pro-war democrats

On Democracy Now today Norman Solomon observed that there is not one single Senator who will come out against the war in Iraq. And as Dean is now on record of saying we have to stay the course one can only conclude that the Democratic Party is pro-war. How terifying is this? Plenty! This only confirms what I have been saying all along, Democrats and Republicans are in this together. They all draw their largesse from the same gigantic corporations that now effectively control not only the U.S. government but, in fact, the world. Or they are very near to doing that. At this point it is very hard to see what might be done about it.

For example, there is no doubt whatsoever that Bush should be impeached for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that he is a war criminal. But as the House is under Republican control that is not going to happen. Furthermore, even if it did, Cheney would become President, a fate too awful to even contemplate. If both Bush and Cheney could be impeached Hastert would become President. But as Hastert is nothing but an errand boy for DeLay that would be an even worse disaster. Republicans control everything except the Supreme Court and they are on the way to controlling that as well (they almost control it anyway even without the next appointment). In order for Bush to get the pressure off Rove by nominating someone for the court he would have to nominate someone like Jack the Ripper (don't bet he won't).

Democrats are basically powerless. They don't control any committees, they can't supoena anyone, they can't even get a decent room for a hearing. What do they do about this - they join the Republicans in their obscene warmongering and disastrous tax cuts, ignore health care and the environment, and do not even attempt to distance themselves from Republicans. Hilary Clinton, for example, votes 33% of the time with Republicans. She is also, I believe, on the Board of Directors of Wal Mart. Aside from Ted Kennedy and one or two other Democrats the rest of the Democrats are about the same. In other words, don't expect anything much from Democrats. They have a chance now to do something, what with the outrageous behavior of Karl Rove and others, but don't depend on it. Look what they have completely failed to do with the Gannon/Guckert scandal.

I will personally not support any Democrat for President unless they are anti-war and unless they are willing to curb Israel (the root cause of most of the trouble in the Middle East). And they will have to swear to remove American troops from Iraq and stop building permanent bases there (it is perfectly obvious that Bush/Cheney and their ilk have absolutely no intention of ever giving up Iraq, at least not until they are assured of a puppet government that will do their bidding, and even then they will have to maintain at least some American forces).

Someone observed today that we are in big trouble. That is putting it mildly. If Rove, Novak, probably Miller, and others get away with treason the jig is up, so to speak. It is already obvious that Republicans believe the U.S. economy is more important than the planet itself, and that the Republican party and power are more important than treason against the United States.

In ordinary circumstances I would say Bush has no chance of surviving the Rove scandal. But these are hardly ordinary circumstances. Indeed, we find outselves in a totally unprecedented situation. I don't know what the solution might be but I can tell you what it certainly is not - NO MORE REPUBLICAN-LITE! Get rid of the DLC and insist that the DNC get real.